Charlie BartlettMy name is Charlie Bartlett. If there's one thing I want you guys to walk away with tonight... uh, it's that you guys don't need me. I really mean it. You think I'm any less screwed up than you are? I get up every morning, and I look in the mirror, and I try and figure out just where I fit in. And I draw a complete blank. You guys are looking to me to tell you what to do? You need to stop listening to me. Stop listening to people telling you who you should be! And stop listening to the people who are telling you you're not good enough to do the things that you want to do. You guys have all the answers.
Charlie BartlettRight, which means there's probably life on other planets.
Kip CrombwellNot life like we think, but yeah. Probably at least single-cell organisms.
Charlie BartlettWell, see, that's my whole point. I mean, you could've been born a single cell organism on the planet Zortex. In fact, given the odds, it's probably more likely, but you weren't. You were born a human being. And not just any human being in the history of human beings, but a human being that gets to be alive today, that gets to listen to all kinds of music, that gets to eat food from every culture, that gets to download porn off the internet. So, really, you have everything to live for.
Charlie BartlettWell, duh, dude, this place sucks, but I just worry that one day we're gonna look back at high school and wish we'd done something different.
Charlie BartlettMy family has a psychiatrist on call. How normal can I be?
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[last lines]
Dr. P. SarossyI must say, of all the kids applying for a summer internship, you have quite a checkered history.
Charlie BartlettI understand, and I'm sure you have a whole stack of people with perfect backgrounds and no, uh... disciplinary record. Really, I'd do anything to work here.
Dr. P. SarossyWell, let's get on with the interview. I... got a hell of a day ahead of me.
Charlie BartlettI guess I should tell you about the first time I had my period. My daddy was driving me back from summer camp, and I turned to him and said, "Daddy, I think I'm sloughing!" And he said, "That's nice, honey." And I realized that he had, like, NO IDEA what sloughing meant! So, I explained to him that it meant blood was gushing from my YOU-KNOW-WHERE! And he nearly wrecked the car trying to hand me a wad of fast food napkins - which is not something that you particularly want to stick up your hooch!
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Principal GardnerOh, I encourage you to listen all you like, but let's face it, you're not a professional.
Principal GardnerAnd these medications have a legitimate use. They've helped a lot of people. It's a generational thing. You know teenagers always find a way to abuse something. And why not, right? Being zonked out of your mind is a lot more fun than dealing with your problems.
Principal Nathan GardnerEverybody needs to vent a little now and again, don't you figure? Some of us are privileged enough to vent to you in the boys' room stall and the rest of us have to settle for less conventional methods, like, I don't know, a bottle of booze and a handgun.
Susan GardnerYes. The harder the question, the greater the reward.
Charlie BartlettHe's in prison. My Mom went into a pretty bad depression when he got arrested. So, uh, when he was out on bail he took me out for ice cream. He told me I had to take care of her. So, I promised him I would. And um, I've been taking care of her ever since.
Principal Nathan GardnerI can't kill myself, I've got too many responsibilities. You okay? Never, never attack a drunk guy with a gun. Do you understand?
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Marilyn BartlettWell, I think it's safe to say that you're grounded.
Murphy BivensI take the train tracks home. You drive around in a limo.
Charlie BartlettI guess you're right. Look, I got ninety pills of Ritalin that we could sell at the dance. Maybe we're just gonna have to settle for being business partners.
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Charlie BartlettMaybe you got slapped around one too many times for your lunch money on your way to the bus. Maybe your pop's gotta booze himself up every morning so he can plow roads with a sense of humor, then, when he gets home, you're just a distance third to sloppy joes and a bad sitcom. Maybe the cheerleaders call you a scumbag behind your back. Maybe it's 'cause the school's got you placed on the remedial track and your teachers are really good at making you feel like an idiot. Maybe it's none of these things. Maybe it's all of 'em.
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Murphy Bivens[cornering him]What's that, a briefcase?
Principal Nathan Gardner[long pause, somber music plays]Look, I've been around a while, you know, long enough to say this: what you do in this life... matters.
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Principal Nathan Gardner[referring to Charlie's estranged father, who's in prison for tax evasion]There are worse crimes than tax evasion.
Charlie BartlettYeah, but it's not worth losing your father over.
Charlie Bartlett[sly smile, using Gardner's own words from before]Some days are better than others.
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Kip CrombwellIf it helps your decision, I'd be considerably less likely to end my life if you said yes.
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Charlie BartlettWatch Murphy Bivens' fists of fury pummel your best friends! Get 'em while they last! Bert Bannister hit in the face! Charlie Bartlett punched in the eye! Instant gratification or your money back!
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Dr. Stan WeathersDu'e, your mom tells me that you have been getting into scrapes with the other boys.
Charlie BartlettIt's the best euphemism for getting the living crap kicked out of you that I've ever heard.
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Marilyn Bartlett[note for Charlie left on the piano]Ritalin in the bag, dinner in the oven. Love, Mom.
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Charlie BartlettObsessive behavior is I guess you what guys call it. Like, whenever I hear anyone say a word that starts with the letter...
[Charlie forms a 'P' with his fingers]
Charlie Bartlett...I have to say five words that start with the letter 'V' and tap my head with my right hand.
Dr. Jacob KaufmannPerhaps we should start...
Charlie Bartlett[taps his head violently with his right hand on each word]VIAGRA! VIRGIN! VENAL! VAGABOND! VAGINA!
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Murphy BivensHow does that feel? I don't care. You know why? 'Cause that was a rhetorical question!